Tire for vehicle-wheels.



W. T. WHITLOGK. TIRE FOR VEHICLE WHEELS.

APPLICATION FILED APRAQ, 1911.

1,013,085, S Patented Dec. 26, 1911.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR s'raras cannon..-

W'ILLIAM T. WHITLOCK, OF CHICOPEE FALLS, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THEFISK RUBBER. COMPANY, OF CHICOPEE FALLS, MASSACHUSETTS, A COMORATION oronnawann f,013,85. speifletion ofrIciters P nt Patented Dec. 26, 1911,Application filed A ril is, 1911. Seria1No.622,000.

1'0 all whom it may concern: I I 'Be it known that 1, WILLIAM T. Wnrr-LooK, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at C hicogeeFalls,- in the.

county of Hampden and tate of Massaohusetts, have invented new anduseful Improvcments inTires for Vehicle-Wheels, of T which the followingis a specification;

This invention. relates to the manufacture ofresilient tires; forvehicle wheels, and specificallyto the'lsurface formation of the treadportion'of such tired-the object-of. the invention heingto provide atire, the tread portion ofwhich is so constructed as to combine improvedtractional and antiskidding qualities and so arranged as to providemeans whereby the maximum flexibility of the tire body may be attained,and making provision for the easy shedding of mud or soft earth from thetread surface of the tire. I

My invention consists in the features of construction whereby theseadvantages are obtained and their arrangement with reference tomaintaining the desired direction of travel and to' the resistance whichthe tirehas to overcome in changlng its course or in-climbmg out of rutsor-irregularities in'the road. To this end I arrange a series ofsubstantially fiat-faced ribs, pads, or projections on the tread surfaceof the tire in alternation with-a like series of depressed spaces orchannels separating said ribs.

1 Theinvention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawing,in'which,-

Figurelis a plan view of a portion of the tread surface of a'tire'embodying my lnvention. Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a.slightlydift'erent arrangement of the tractional ribs or projections.Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of a tire showing the treadsurface construction of Fig. 2, this view showing more clearly therelation of the longitudinally disposed ribs and channels relative tothe transversely disposed or tractional ribs, and the channels betweenthe latter.

Referring tothe drawings, a is the tire body,-b the tractional-ribs orprojections, 0 the channel between these ribs or projections; dindicating the circumferentially disposed ribs or projectionsequidistant from the median line of the tire-body and separated from theends of the tractional projections b by the channels 6. The tracman ronvnnroLE-wnnnrs.

tional ribs or projections 72 and their alterhating channels 0 arelocated across the middle of the tread surface of the tire, or

over that portion most subject to deflection and each member of thisseries of projections extends preferably at a right angle to thedirection of rotation of the tire. rib, as it is brought into contactwith the Each road surface, gets, as it were, a fresh grip! by reasonof'its' protrusion from the surface of the tire body, while each.alternatingchannel space 0 provides a groove into which theroadsubstance may enter thus forming an abutment against which the ribs mayact to aid propulsion. vThe alternating channels 0, as arrangedtransversely of the tire, also materially add to the flexibility of the,tread portion of the latter and thusdiminish frictional resistance inthe wall of-v i =75 The circumferentially disposedchannels e the tire.body.

which result from the location of "thec'irkcumferentially disposed ribsd spacedfrom the outer ends of the ribs 7) is an important 1 feature inthat by this arrangement all of the channels are intercommunicating andthe circumferentially disposed channels constitute an outlet, as itwere, for the trans:

channel 6 serves to'maintain the desired direction of travel andto'prevent skidding or. slide-slip, in the same manner as the transverse ribs and depressed channels, in getting a grip or hold on the roadsurface.

The connection of the transverse channels a with the circumferentialchannels,.when' the tire is subject to side thrusts, allows the roadmaterial to compact against the circumferential ribs and assistsinchecking a disposition to slip sidewise. 'Such connection of'thechannels also in straight travel allows mud or softmaterial relief fromundue pressure which would tend to compact it in the transverse channelsto such an extcnt that it would-be lifted and thrown as the wheelrotates. The continuity of the surface of the circumferentialribsandtheir location are of material value in the control of thevehicle on ruttedroads, as the edges of these ribs (have a prehensilegrip on the inclined wall of the ruts'which' enables the tire tosurmount them. I f

A greater importance on relatively large size tires than on the smallerones.

the position of the ribs bin the two figures being attained by suitablecircumferential adjustment of the two parts of the mold. Aside from theresistance to lateral thrust from side slip to which the circumferentialribs d offer resistance, the square faced ends g of the ribs 72, and thesquare inner ends of the channels 0, (in the construction shown Theform' of tread shown in Figs. 1 and 2 may be ,made in the same mold, thedifference in in Figs. 1 and 2) offer additional areas of resistance toside-slip, the walls of the parts just referred to being substantiallyradialto the cross-sectional contour of the tire.

What I claim, is

In a resilient tire, a circumferential rib.

located on the median line of the tire, and a rib located on either sidethereof equidistant therefrom, all of said ribssbeing substantiallyradial to the tread surface of the tire and integral therewith, andtraction ribs extending from either side of said central rib, the outerends of said traction ribs being spaced apart from the ribs on eitherside of said central rib.

WILLIAM T. WHITLOCK.

Witnesses:

GEORGE A. LUDINGTON, JOSEPH A. BURKE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0.

